fc 



THE STRIKE 
MOTHER GOOSE SETTLED 



•by- 



EVELYN HOXIE 




PRICE 25 GENTS 



Eldridge Entertainment House 

Franklin, Ohio zbs Denver, Colo. 

944 So. Logan Street 



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Training Mary 

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Miss Burnett Puts One Over 

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Eldridge Entertainment House 

FRANKLIN, OHIO also DENVER, COLO. 

944 S. Logan St. 



The Strike Mother 
Goose Settled. 



By EVELYN HOXIE 



PRICE 25 CENTS 
Copyright 1922, EldrldKe Entertainment House 



Published By 

ELDRIDGE ENTERTAINMENT HOUSE 

FRANKLIN, OHIO DENVER, COLO. 






CHARACTERS 



Boy Blue 

Tom, the Piper's Son 

Jack Horner 

Mary 

Mother Hubbard 

Miss Muffet 

Old Woman 

Jack Spratt 

Mrs. Spratt 

Jack 

Jill 

Mother Goose 



©CI.D 63210 
TMP92-009155 



The Strike Mother Goose Settled 



This little play is more effective if the children wear 
masks and old-fashioned clothes, paper neck ruffs and so 
on. 

(Small boy asleep on floor. Enter Tom shouting 
loudly.) 

Tom — Come, Boy Blue, blow your horn. The cows 
are in the meadow, the sheep are in the corn! 

(Boy Blue sits up and yawns, then slowly gets to his 
feet.) 

Tom — Come — aren't you going to blow your horn? 

Boy Blue — No; I'm tired to death. 

Tom — But the sheep will eat your corn up. 

Boy Blue — Let them eat it then. I'm tired of al- 
ways watching sheep and cows. 

Tom— You don't mean you want them to eat the 
corn, do you? 

Boy Blue — Not exactly that; but they can eat a few 
ears if they want to. 

Tom— What makes you talk like that? 

Boy Blue— You'd talk like that, too, if you'd been 
up since before daylight chasing sheep and cows, and 
then when you lie down to have a bit of sleep, someone 
begins to shout miserable old rhymes and wake you up. 
But who are you, anyway? You look like someone I have 
seen. 

Tom — I'm the Piper's son. 

Boy Blue— Oh, yes. Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son, 
Stole a pig and away he run. 

Tom — That's a big mistake. I never stole a pig, and 
how it got into that book is a mystery to me. 

3 



The Strike Mother Goose Settled 



Boy Blue — Never stole that pig? Why, I've' seen 
your picture with a pig under your arm; how is that? 

Tom — That pig belonged to Jack Horner, and just 
to tease him, I caught it up and ran, but I brought it 
right back again. 

(Enter Jack Horner.) 

JACK: — Who's talking about me? 

Tom — We are. I was telling Boy Blue I never stole 
your pig. 

Jack — No, you did not; and I never got a plum out 
of my Christmas pie, either. 

Boy Blue and Tom — (together) We supposed you 
did. The book said so. 

Jack — That book says anything. I did not get a 
plum. There were no plums to get. I wish there had 
been. Well, let's sit down and talk it over awhile; I'm 
tired. 

(Boys sit down. Enter Mary, who stands at one side 
in an absent-minded way.) 

Jack — Mary, Mary, quite contrary, say how does 
your garden grow? 

Mary — (angrily) I'm not contrary, I'd have you 
understand. In fact, I'm very agreeable. I agree in 
everything, and my garden is fine; it has bachelor but- 
tons that high. (Measuring with her hand.) 

Boy Blue — How about the pretty maids all in a row ? 

Mary — That isn't so. No one ever goes into my 
garden but myself. 

Jack — Well, there is one pretty maid when you are 
there. 

Mary — Don't be silly, Jack; you'd better be eating 
your pie. 

Jack — My pie is eaten, but you surely are contrary; 
you see, you would not agree with me in what I said. 

(Mary walks off to one side looking provoked.) 



The Strike Mother Goose Settled 



(Enter Mother Hubbard, leading a dog. She looks 
around the room, muttering.) 

Mother H. — No, there's no cupboard here, so I can- 
not get you a bone. 

Tom — Wait a moment. I'll get the dog a bone. (He 
runs out and brings in a bone and gives it to the dog.) 

Mother H. — Thank you, Tom. You are a good boy. 
I never believed you stole the pig. 

Tom — No, 1 did not — but who is this coming? 

(Enter Miss Muffet with bowl of curds. She passes 
the curds to all present, everyone taking some except 
Mary. Miss Muffet goes over and sits on foot stool.) 

Mother H. — I don't wonder you are always eating 
curds and whey. They are very nice. 

Miss M— 1 think so, ma'am. 

Tom — But what about the spider that frightened 
you away? 

Miss M. — That rhyme was not true. It would take 
more than a spider to scare me, I'd have you to know. 

Boy Blue — If you should see a spider, you would 
not be frightened then? 

Miss M. — Of course not. Do you think I am a baby, 
to be afraid of a spider? (Still eating curds.) 

Jack — (excitedly pointing at Miss M.) There's a 
big spider right beside her now. Look, quick! 

(Miss M. springs to her feet with a piercing scream 
and runs from room. Others laugh.) 

Jack — The rhyme was true about her, all right. 

(Enter old lady with broom.) 

Jack — Old woman, old woman, old woman, said I, 
Whither, ah whither, ah whither so high? 

Old Woman — (angrily) I'm not going anywhere. 
I've struck. I'm not going to sweep the cobwebs from 
the sky any more. It's too hard work, and besides they 
collect faster than I can sweep them out. 



The Strike Mother Goose Settled 



Mother H.— It must be hard work. 

Old Woman — It is. And only last night I got lost 
in the milky way — why, I nearly drowned in the streams 
of milk. No, I'll put this broom in the corner here, and 
sweep no more. 

(Enter Jack Spratt and wife.) 

Jack Spratt — We never licked the platter clean, and 
if we had, I don't see whose concern it was. 

Mrs. Spratt — No, there was no need to put that in 
the book. 

Old Woman — Then you never ate all the fat and 
Jack all the lean? 

Jack S. — No, we didn't. That is, we ate what we 
liked. 

(Enter Jack and Jill. All gather around them.) 

Mother H. — Did you go after water and fall down 
and break your crown, and Jill come tumbling after? 

Jack — No, we did not. You see, my crown is whole, 
do you not? 

( Takes off crown and passes it around and all agree 
that it is ivhole.) 

Jill — (excitedly) You see, the old rhyme was not 
true. I never fell ahead, nor after, for that matter. I 
think Mother Goose must have drawn on her imagina- 
tion, to have written such queer rhymes about us all. 

(All agree to this.) 

(Enter Mother Goose in high peaked hat, scolding 
loudly.) 

Mother Goose— What is this I hear about Mother 
Goose rhymes not being true? Out of this, all of you, 
and take your places back in the nursery book, where 
you belong. Why, what would the little folks do without 
you? 

(They look at one another and hurriedly exit, the 



The Strike Mother Goose Settled 



old woman taking her broom without a word. Mother 
Goose has a tvhip in her hand which she flourishes in a 
threatening manner and folloivs them out, scolding.) 

Mother Goose: — Don't ever let me hear any more 
about this. Out with you! Back to your places in the 
book! 



(Exeunt all, in a hurry.) 



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This is another splendid book for 
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ELDRIDGE ENTERTAINMENT HOUSE 

FRANKLIN, OHIO, also 944 S. Logan, DENVER, COLO. 



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Eldridge Entertainment House 

FRANKLIN, OHIO also DENVER, COLO. 

944 S. Logan St. 



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103 425 



Comforting Her Patient 



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Gossip in Slowville 



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The Spinsterhood of Mary 

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Mrs. Swattem Attends the Convention 

This monolog by Rhoda Barclay is an account of the 
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Eldridge Entertainment House 

FRANKLIN, OHIO also DENVER, COLO. 

944 S. Logan St. 

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